A father and his girlfriend are facing child endangerment charges after the man's 2-year-old daughter showed up at the hospital covered in bruises and suffering from an ear infection that went untreated for so long that doctors said it could have been fatal.

Police say Clark's daughter was brought to UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on Jan. 21 with mucus coming out of her nose and mouth and was unsteady on her feet. According to a criminal complaint, doctors found the girl had cuts and bruises on her head, face, and stomach. She also had a serious infection of the mastoid bone, which was attributed to an ear infection that was not treated and the "case represents a near fatality."

Aronckes is not the girl's mother, but she lived with the girl, Clark and three other children at a home in Blawnox.

Investigators wrote in the complaint that Aronckes described the girl as a "horrible child to deal with" and admitted physically restraining her often, saying "she has had to push (the girl's) eyes open and smacked her lightly in the face to get her to focus.”

Court records show that both Clark and Aronckes have been charged with crimes in the past. Clark was charged with simple assault, harassment, furnishing alcohol to minors and corruption of minors. He has also had a protection from abuse order filed against him, in a previous relationship. The PFA and most of the charges against Clark were either withdrawn or dismissed. Aronckes was previous charged with assault, but that charge was also withdrawn.

Clark and Aronckes were being held in the county jail on $100,000 bond. Both face child endangerment charges, while Aronckes is also charged with two counts of aggravated assault.